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Interactive StoryWalk® coming to Summerdale

A photo of the beginning page for Moose Hill’s StoryWalk® trail in Massachusetts. Also displayed is the length between the pages, and one of the many ways the pages can be displayed.

Photo Submitted

By Jessica Vaughn / jessica@gulfcoastmedia.com

SUMMERDALE - During the October workshop meeting, council member Norma Giles brought to the table the idea of a StoryWalk® being placed in Summerdale.

While visiting out of state, Giles had come across a StoryWalk® in a community park, which had been placed there by the county library. After looking into the program, she decided to bring the idea before the council to see if it would be possible to place one within Summerdale.

“What it is, it’s like you walk and read a page of a book, and as you walk a little further you would read another page of the book,” said Giles.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. The company asks that all participants use the copyright and that the pages of the books are not altered in any way, and otherwise anyone is able to participate and the storybooks can be placed wherever a community sees fit.

StoryWalks® are aimed to promote literacy and exercise in children, and were created to get kids, and adults, outside and walking in their communities, while reading pages of books along trails as they go. The pages have limited text so families don’t have to stop long before moving on to the next page, and most are illustrated and vibrant as well. The company also tries to select books that carry messages of caring, kindness, and good values to instill in children.

The Summerdale Public Library has agreed to purchase the storybooks in order to create the StoryWalk® in town, which left only deliberation on where to put the project. Areas for StoryWalks® need to be well lit, good places for walking, and allow enough room to spread the pages out without distancing them from one another too severely.

In the end, the council decided on the sidewalk leading from Summerdale School to the Summerdale Community Center, as the StoryWalk® wouldn’t interfere with any upcoming construction, such as with Pioneer Park, and the trail is shaded to combat heat. The path would also be ideal for walking field trips that students from the nearby school take.

Summerdale Public Library is excited to begin the project, and soon Summerdale will have its very own StoryWalk® that everyone can enjoy.